Little Falls transcript., 1887-02-25
BURNED IN THEIR CABINS.
The Horrible Fate of Two Women fl
the Wilds OF Missour1.

BURNED IN THEIR CABINS.
The Horrible Fate Of Two Women in
the Wilds OF Missouri.
Two women were burned to death in
their homes in the backwoods regions of
st. Louis county last week without ex-
citing more than a casual reference
from the Indifferent people of the local
ity where the unfortunate victims dwelt.
One of the females met her death in the
Creve Coeur bottoms, where she had
passed the early part of long life as
the wife of trapper and hunter when
game was plenty in that section. The
other victim was 17-year old colored
girl, one of family of seven persons,
whose cabin was burned in the brakes
of the Meramac, near Eureka. Both
events are as mysterious in their origin
as the results were terrible. In each
case justice went through the FORM
alities of holding an inquest that accom-
plished nothing more than legalizing
bill for the county to pay. Nothing was
known of the Creve Coeur cremation
until pile of Goals was discovered on
the site of the woodland home where the
old trapper's wife, Mrs. Louisiana S.
Cartner, lived. She was a paralytic,
the helpless inmate of Barton Axel-
mans domicile. The house was an old,
double log structure, with one square
room at each end, an open space be-
tween, all under one roof, fashioned
and chinked on the same plan as hun
dreds of other pioneer homes that are
to be seen anywhere in the western
wilds. They are primitive as it is pos.
sble for an ak to make them. The fire.
place and chimney at one end are made
of logs and sticks, daubed with mud as
sort of freprooGng. Occasionally
chunks of the burnt clay fall out and the
chimney takes fire, but gonrd of water
generally quenches the incipient blaze.
It was just such a frontier cabin as this
that Axelman lived in with his wife and
two children. They were poor people;
more improvident than idle, but kind
hearted nevertheless. Mrs. Cartner
was in very impecunlous circumstances
also, and felt well contented to have an
abiding place in this family. She was
nearly 60 years of age, and bed-ridden
with paralysis. The family frequently
left her alone for hours at time, as
she seldom wanted anything but lit
tie to eat and drink 1t was while the
family were all away Saturday evening
at the country store that the old lady
was fatally burned. The presumption.
in the absence of any other evidence,
is that the chimney took fire, and the
helpless paralytic, being unable to move
from the couch, was forced to lie there
until the flames took possession of the
house and put an end to her sutferings
1t was an agonizing ending.
When the Axelman family returned
from their shopping and discovered
their home in rains it was hoped that
Mrs. GARNER lad by some miracle es-
capped. They searched for her and
then summoned the neighbors for two
or three miles around. When they
came the old logs were smoldel'ing in q
great bed of embers. While waiting
for the fire to cool a rake was brought
to the pyre, Sturdy hands lifted it up
and let it drop with the prongs down
into the fiery bed just over the spot
where the old lady was last seen alive,
Then with a quick, strong pull the
charred remains were dragged cut on
the ground. Nothing but the trunk re-.
manned for the coroner's jury to gaze
at, and all they learned was what is
narrated in the foregoing.
| The other catastrophe happened al
night when the inmates were all asleer
in a. log cabin where johnson Claiborne
with his wife and five children lived
not far from Eureka. They were color.
ed people. All of them slept in the
single room of the cabin exec pting the
un}ucky girl. She occupied the loft,
! OF attic, and made her nightly ascen,
by means of a ladder through the only
opening in the ceiling, near the fire
! place. 1t was during the extreme cold
weather The fireplace had been piled
high with logs to last over night, and
everybody in the house had gone tc
sleep. A little after midnight Clai
borne's wife awakened from the effects
of a sitting smoke, and discovered the
fireplace and roof in full blaze. There
was not a minute to spare, for a high
wind was then blowing the smoke and
| flames through the hut. giving the
family downstairs barely time to es.
cape alive. Not a;word or cry wat
heard from the girl in the attic. bu
when the ire subsidized, enough of he:
remains were found to prove that she
had pershed in the flames. 1t is pre-,
sunled that she became snffocated WitE
the smoke, or was 50 exhausted wher
she discovered her danger she coGlt
give no alarm. When her parents go
out there was nothing they could do t<
help her, as the fire was burning fierce
~ near the chimney and the roof wa:
in blaze from one end to the other.